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Lindisfarne Priory

The original home of the Lindisfarne Gospels, Lindisfarne Priory was a celebrated centre of English Christianity and home to St Cuthbert.

St Aidan founded the first monastery on the tidal Holy Island in AD 635 with the mission of converting the Northern Anglo-Saxons from paganism to Christianity.

The monastery became a renowned centre of Christian learning where many national treasures, including the Lindisfarne Gospels, were created. The Gospels are considered as one of Britain’s most significant medieval manuscripts and an important aspect of the North East’s creative and spiritual heritage.

From the 670s Lindisfarne was also the home of St Cuthbert, the most famous of its monk-bishops. Buried in the priory, Cuthbert’s remains were enshrined and became the most important centre of pilgrimage in the north until Viking raiders forced the monks to flee, taking his relics with them.

The visitor centre contains important Saxon stone carvings from that period.